Jack the Ripper Suspects: The Definitive Guide and Encyclopedia

Book excerpt: In the autumn of 1888, a serial killer known as Jack the Ripper stalked the East End of London. He was never identified, but hundreds of people were accused. Some were known to the authorities at the time, and others were named by later researchers. The truth about them, and the reasons why they came under suspicion, is often lost in a plethora of opinions and misinformation. For the first time, this book presents the evidence against 333 suspects. They include the publican who painted his dog, the first woman sentenced to the electric chair, the writer of the Red Flag, the man with a thousand convictions, Britain’s oldest Prime Minister, and many others. People from all walks of nineteenth century life, representing many different nationalities and professions. United by a link, however tenuous, to the most famous murderer in history.